This week on The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast, Jason Hardy of Ownly joins Greg and Kevin to discuss digitizing the home buying process and the advantages it has for builders and customers.
The recent pandemic accelerated consumer demands for more buying options online, and the home building industry was no exception. However, most home builders were unable to give buyers the online experiences they desired. Jason says,
“People weren’t visiting show homes and leasing centers and presentation centers anymore. They were going onto the builders’ websites. They were going onto these websites and looking for an opportunity to shop, and looking for an opportunity to get the price, and looking for an opportunity to build and price their home, and to be able to buy that home, but the industry was not ready. The industry was not prepared for it.”
Each home buyer might dictate what the online home buying process means to them and builders will have to adjust to that. Jason explains,
“In a perfect world…it’s a hybrid. You need to be able to meet the customers where they are and where they want to be. It doesn’t mean that one customer that wants the ability to shop and buy online is gonna go through that entire process online. Part of it is going to be doing the research and due diligence in advance online, and some people are gonna be more comfortable taking that conversation offline and meeting with someone in person.”
The key to any online home buying process is getting the entire company onboard. Jason says,
“…if you’re thinking about having a hybrid model of giving customers the ability to shop, to be able to get verified, to get qualified in advance of making a purchase, to be able to buy online, you need buy-in from the top to the bottom of the organization.”
Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about making the online home buying process simpler and more beneficial to builders and buyers.
About the Guest:
Jason Hardy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ownly, today’s fast-growth e-commerce property technology “PropTech” solution for the home-buying process. The company’s most sought after tool at the moment is Ownly Verified, enabling a simple and seamless experience for validating homebuyers’ identities – ensuring that they are qualified. Beyond defining the future of new home sales online, Jason’s also Executive Director of Real Estate Development Institute, key Chairman of Real Estate Marketing with Chatterson, a Member of the Management Advisory Council for The Haskayne School of Business as well as an Advisory Board Member and the Committee Chair for The Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies.